Movie Reviews
Oliver Stones name is synonymous with controversy. Whether hes taking on the government or talking about violence, Stone has become so loved and so hated at the same time its a wonder he hasnt split in two. In my harshest opinion, Stone likes to pervert history; turn the text book upside down and tell us what really happened.
This time around, with World Trade Center, Stone is without a doubt telling us what really happened. You can tell this by some unnatural, very un-cinematic scenes scattered about the film. And what minute creative license Stone does take maybe cinematic, but only in movies where characters also say stuff like, May the force be with you.
John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pea) were two of the hundreds of port authorities that entered the World Trade Center twin towers on September 11 to evacuate. They were two of hundreds who were inside the building when tower 2 collapsed. They became two of twenty who would be pulled from the rubble alive.
This is a terrific, harrowing story. One of the thousands that unfolded on accident that day. Andrea Berloffs screenplay is articulate and truthful, but its also too sentimental.
When the tower falls on these men, there are a few moments of chaos and hysteria that transcend the rest of the movie. The countenance of all the people in the lobby of the tower when rubble surrounds them feels genuine. And the scenes between Cage and Pea under the rubble are astounding by the fact that hardly any movement is dominating the screen. Stone is wise enough in these sequences to allow the actors to say their lines with the confidence of a man really pinned by metal and rock.
Cage is effective in his role because not only does he resemble a cop, but hes able to find that hard-to-reach area between tough and nice. Pea is effective in his role because he discards the rookie persona that is given him in the first act of the film. Pea is a talented young actor, and I hope he continues to mirror the wisdom of taking roles in films like this and Crash.
But at the same time, Stone intercuts with the folks above the rubble. We get to know the wives Donna McLoughlin (Maria Bello) and Allison Jimeno (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and their families. Where Bello and Gyllenhaal attempt to emit fear, uncertainty and anger, they actually become annoying. The type of movie wife that everyone wants to just shut up. Hopefully, the real Mrs. McLoughlin and Mrs. Jimeno never read this review.
Berloff and Stone manage to achieve a sense of accomplishment with World Trade Center. By the end, we feel the weight of 9/11 lifted off our shoulders just like we finally did a couple years after the real day. It is a relief to see fantastic wide shots of hundreds of port authorities searching through the rubble (the most realistic set this year). It is a relief to see Stone stay with the themes of togetherness, faith, and hope for the future (however sentimental it may become). It is a relief to see characters watch intently (and without comment) as President Bush and Mayor Giuliani speak with determination and eloquence.
WTC does not, however, achieve that wonderful, terrible sense of reliving that day as United 93 did. The two are completely different films, but I think their goals are similar nonetheless, and WTC decides to show rather than engulf. United 93 engulfs, and its why Ill never forget that film. ***